1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to communications devices and more particularly to methods for ensuring audio safety of such devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
Telecommunications devices are ubiquitous in today's society. Many of these devices, such as cellular telephones or two-way radios, include one or more speakers for broadcasting audio. To protect consumers, several safety guidelines have been established with respect to such devices. In particular, the audio that emanates from telecommunications devices is limited to levels that will prevent consumers from damaging their hearing.
Audio outputs for some telecommunications devices are controlled by a digital signal processor (“DSP”). For example, a telecommunications device may contain an actively-equalized earpiece (AEE) circuit, which, as is known in the art, may equalize the frequency response of an audio output signal in response to movement of the telecommunications device towards and away from a user's ear. The DSP in an AEE circuit can be programmed to limit the level of an audio output if that level reaches a certain threshold.
Unfortunately, the software with which the DSP is programmed typically contains bugs that limit the DSP's effectiveness. That is, the DSP may not properly prevent the audio output signal from exceeding a safety threshold. In response, the telecommunications device is typically designed such that the maximum output capacity of the device is kept to a level well below the safety threshold, which limits the audio performance of the device.